The Last Song (2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) [Blu-ray]

Not only was the novel amazing, the movie was too. Every one who judges the movie simply becuase of Miley's past career are wrongly doing so. Try the movie out and you won't be dissapointed. Obviously not everything is for everyone, but for all those looking to enjoy a sappy love movie, this is for you! It's great for the family and a very down to earth drama. Get over her Hannah alter-ego and move on as she is trying to.

I enjoy some of Miley Cyrus' work and I appreciate her effort in the entertainment business. I was neutral going into this movie, didn't form any opinion when I saw the line up of actors and was very excited waiting for this movie. I have read all of Nicholas Sparks books, this one included and I was thrilled when I saw he was the screenwriter. However, after watching the movie I can't help but feel disappointed. The story line fell in the teen/family genre of movies, whereas the book story line would have been appropriate for teens, but also touching and effective for other demo-graphs. The acting was ok. Ronnie's Dad was great! Will was good. Miley did all right.

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Markus was hardly in the story and the mention of his fire activity was seen briefly, the severity of her father's illness was downplayed, and the girl Ronnie left behind to be the supportive daughter was hardly understood. The story was changed a lot, and in doing so, they went in the wrong direction. Of course the book is always better in any adaptation, but if you are going to put a book to screen you should at least follow the story and stick to it. It would have worked better then what they came up with. I also thought the music was oddly placed at times and too much of it.

*End Of Spoilers*

I gave this 3 stars because, just like Nights in Rodanthe it brought a book I fell in love with to life in a sense, so because I read the book I can fill the gaps in. Others I am sorry for you. Read the book. If you are looking for a movie like The Notebook, don't look here. That was a great book adaption.

In watching `The Last Song' over the weekend (to be honest, I actually wanted to do this), I decided that it was probably best to present this review in three sections; the pros, the cons and my verdict.

It just makes more sense this way.

THE PROS:

The beachfront setting of the film, not unlike a previous Sparks film adaptation `Nights in Rodanthe', is stunning and certainly creates a mood, the same mood that follows a lot of Sparks' stories. You can feel the love in the air from the moment the sandy shores are revealed. The acting here is also quite decent, with the exception of Kelly Preston who is just really bad at whatever it is she is trying to do. Greg Kinnear is always a welcome presence, and he layers the stereotypical `dad' role with enough personality to make him endearing. Liam Hemsworth is like a talented Paul Walker (they look very similar) and that is becoming. I see a career in front of him that may (and I'm not really joking here) lead him to some award recognition in ten years or so. That said, the star of the show has a decent three-quarter turn here. Once here character gets out of the `I'm trying to be distant and rebellious' stage she actually shines. So, I'd say that a good 75% of Miley Cyrus's performance is pretty darn good. I'll tell you this, the main performances (and the nonchalant way the film is edited in parts) goes a long way to making this film entertaining, since there are a lot more cons than pros here. But, before I switch gears, I want to mention the biggest pro here and that is the theme song to the film. `When I Look At You' is beautifully sung (yes, I'm talking about you Miss Cyrus) and effortlessly captivating. It actually yanks at your heartstrings more than this movie does!

Ok, we must move on.

THE CONS:

Nicholas Sparks has absolutely NO imagination. Really, it's like he wrote this one book many, many years ago and decided that it was so successful and so well written that, instead of challenging himself to try anything new, he was just going to `rinse and repeat' for the rest of his life. Like you may have guessed it, Ronnie meets Will and falls in love. Will is from a different social standing than Ronnie. They don't initially get along but they fall in love quick. There are problems within the family dynamic. Oh yeah, someone dies. Typical Sparks' material. That said, Sparks usually shines in this genre, but this film feels forced for me. I think the biggest issue is that Sparks doesn't understand modern romance. He totally gets that dated love that shines in films like `The Notebook', and he even understood the aged romantic dynamic in `Nights in Rodanthe' and even `Message in a Bottle', but the way he crafts modern teenage romance is stilted and phony to the taste. It just doesn't seem real, and then when he tries to pepper in modern issues (like the abusive boyfriend with the homeless girlfriend) it looks very skeletal in form and unbelievable. Another issue here is the first 25% of Miley's performance. It is so forced, and that comic relief she tries to deliver with the whole sea turtle bit (that whole subplot was poorly executed) was atrocious. I wish I could wipe that whole section from the film. The films rapid deterioration as the film draws to a close is also a tad underworked. When a certain character winds up sick, the sickness comes on so ridiculously rapidly that one is stunned as to why NO ONE NOTICED IT BEFORE. It just doesn't make much sense at all.

I also want to say this; Miley Cyrus is not the most attractive girl in the world. In fact, the way she holds her face can be comically off-putting at times (and it is also what made the first part of her performance so out of place), but her funny looks could play into her favor once she hones her acting skills. She obviously has some talent (her emotional breakdown upon hearing some tragic news is remarkably in tact and believable) and I can see her developing into a nice actress one day. The fact that she isn't afraid to look ugly (I know that sounds harsh, but if you are a cinephile like me you'll understand that that isn't really meant as an insult) will help her create more reality within her characters. We all know that NO ONE is pretty all of the time. Notice the way that Miley holds her face even towards the films end, when she is looking off or standing in a crowd. She looks lazy and frumpy and at times like she smells something gross. In other words, she looks natural. It works for her in parts, and honestly, if she keeps that up and begins to understand a little better HOW to emote completely I could very well see her getting on the track she claimed she desired (not too long ago she mentioned that she wanted to be like Kate Winslet - great aspirations young lady - and do a dramatic film like `Revolutionary Road'). I don't see her as the next Kate-the-Great (that would be a stretch), but the next Natalie Portman?

Give her five years and ask me that again.

And still, the film is worth seeing at least once.

MY VERDICT:

It could have been a lot better. Even `A Walk to Remember', which is saddled with some clichés that surround everything Sparks' writes, manages to be a lot more realistically sound than this film, and a lot more endearing (this movie didn't even bring me close to tears, and it really needed to). Still, it is a decent summer romance movie and it certainly has everything the tweens are looking for. My brother loves this movie (for reasons I am sure we don't share) and I'm sure you're twelve year old will too. If the day is rainy and the mood is light, I'd have no problem watching this film again, as long as it's on cable TV and I'm not paying for it.

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